peitchard



0. L. PRITGHARD.

' Carriage Top.

No. 232,299. Patented Sept. 14, I880.

fin/671607:

NI'IED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

CHARLES L. PRITGHARD, OF DUBUQUE, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF OF,

HIS RIGHT TO JOHN KUNTZ, OF SAME PLACE.

CARRIAGE-TOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 232,299, dated September 14, 1880.

Application filed December 24, 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES L. PRITCHARD, of Dubuque, in the county of Dubuque and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Carriage-Tops; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to carriage-tops having locked bracejoints and the manner of supporting such tops in such a way as to secure them strongly and conveniently to the seats of carriages where the sides of the seats slope and are of different elevations above the seat at various points of the same and my invention therein consists, with respect to the support of a shifting-rail, of means by which the same can be supported in a substantially horizontal position and my invention further consists in the means of supporting a jointbrace in a locked position at various points, and thereby dispensing with the back quarter-curtains, all as more fully hereinafter described.

2 5 In order that those skilled in the art may know how to make my improvements, I proceed to describe the same, having reference to the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation, in perspective, of

0 acarriage-seat with a top-frame attached to it;

' Fig. 2, an enlarged view of the adjustable support to the shifting-rail Fig. 3, a view, in de' tail, of the lockingjointof the brace upon the outside; Fig. 4, a similar view upon the inside.

In the drawings, A represents the seat of a carriage, with sloping sides a; B, the shiftingrail, and (J the locked jointot' the brace. Attached to the sides of the seat, at the rear thereof, are angle-supports E, secured upon 40 the inner side wall of the seat and across the top of the same, to which the back part of the shifting-rail is secured, in the ordinary way, upon the outside of the seat. The front portion of the shifting-rail is securedupon a simi- 5 lar a-ngle support, E. As this support, in order to preserve the shifting-rail in a horizontal position over the inclined sides of the carriage-seat, would exert a destructive leverage upon such sides in motions to which the earriage would be subjected in use, I employ a 5c foot angle-support, E the horizontal portion of which, I), is firmly secured to the bottom of the seat, and the upturned portion of which,

I), rests against and extends up overa considerable portion of the downturned portion of 5 the angle-support E. This upturned portion 1) of the angle support E has a longitudinal slot, 1), with serrated sides, by means of which screws passing through this slot and the downturned portion of the angle-support IE will secure both these supports together in an adjustable manner, and at an elevation, so that the forward end of the shifting-rail willbe horizontal. By this means I am enabled to provide an adjustable support to the forward end 6 of the shifting-rail, so as to preserve its horizontal position without the danger of injury to the sides of the carriage-scat.

In connection with the support just described, I wish to produce in the lower brace of the carriage-top a spring-lock at the joint thereof, for the purpose of supporting the top in an upright position as well as in the various other positions less elevated, and at the same time dispense with the back quarter-curtains. To accomplish this I place upon the outside of the brace, at the joint (J, a circular plate, 0, preferably cast or wrought upon the lower portion of the brace, having in its periphery a series of notches, c. In connection with this n0tch-plate is employed a catch, F, preferably pivoted upon a lug, (I, cast or forged upon the inner part of the upper portion of the brace. The edge f of this catch engages with the notches in the circular plate before mentioned, and a lever-handle on the opposite side of the catch gives convenient access for operating the latch by pressure of the hand upon such lever-handle. A spring, g, embedded within the brace, keeps the latch in engage- 9o ment with the notches. By this means the carriage-top can be securely locked in a vertical position or partly lowered, depending upon the number of notches in the circular plate 0, and the back quarter-curtains may be dispensed 5 with. These catches can be conveniently operated by a person within the carriage, requiring the pressure simply of the hands upon each of the catches to disengage them, and the spring gwill at all times force the latch into engagement with the notches.

The advantages of the constructions de- 5 scribed will be apparent to those familiar with the art without particular enumeration.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. Thecarriage-top adjustable support E E substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with a carriage-brace joint, of the circular plate 0, as described, catch F, and spring g, substantially as described and shown.

This specification signed and witnessed this 9th day of December, 1879.

CHARLES L. PRITOHABD.

Witnesses:

Mormon M. GADY, WILLIAM GRAHAM. 

